Tuesday, April 6, 2010

In today’s world there are many women that we could look up to and try to emulate. But I find that the women that most inspire me are women that I know personally. Their stories have a way of connecting to my life in ways that a stranger’s can not.

For instance, I look at my female relatives. All these women are part of my family. Each worked hard to make a difference in the lives of their children.

"What did they do that was so special?" you ask.

"Good question."

Let go back in time, we all know the world was different then, but how. Women didn’t have the rights we enjoy today. My grandmother, who was born in 1886, never missed a chance to vote because she knew what it was like not to get to vote. My mother and aunts were some of the first women to work outside of their homes. Their labor paved away for all of us. The conditions and low pay they endured help us move into high paying jobs and careers that women of their time didn’t even dream about having.

"Big deal, I have a job, does that make me special?"

"Yes, it does. But does it make you someone’s hero?"

"I don’t have that answer."

"So what’s the point?"

I guess the point is that you could be someone’s hero without even knowing it. The women in my life are unique. Each struggled to do what they had to do to make their life and their family’s lives better.

Are they superheroes? Can they leap a tall building?

No, but they make their small piece of the world better because they are in it. Superman can dive in and save someone’s life in a few minutes, but going to the same job for thirty years so your family can live in a nice neighborhood is much harder to achieve. That’s the act of my heroes.

I see their little acts of every day living as ripples that change the generations that follow them. If they can do it, I can too.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Myrddin, Cassandra's frisky feline familiar, has his work cut out to get two lovers together.

Evelyn is in love with Raritan Manor's resident ghost, Quinn, but can only experience his embrace in her dreams. Quinn, who doesn't realize he's a ghost, loves Eve and wishes she'd stop saying they can't be together. While at the manor, her friend, Julie, is prompted by Cassandra and Myrddin to invite their cousin, Alex, for a visit. When Alex arrives, Evelyn's hopes rise. Perhaps she will be able to have a real relationship after all.

Alex, though, has no interest in Evelyn. Yet, every time Myrddin comes around Alex feels like a man possessed and wants Eve with a passion, but the moment the cat leaves he's back to his old self again.

Caught between loving a ghost and putting up with a man who can't make up his mind, Evelyn is at a loss of what to do and feels as if she's losing her mind.

Can Myrddin get the right people together without causing too much heartache in the process?

Excerpt from Look What the Cat Dragged In

He looked at her, his gaze traveling over her face, searching her eyes. Then, he crushed her to him and pressed his lips on hers. Hypnotized by his kiss, she matched his eagerness with her own. His hands did a hungry search of her body. Warm passion rose in her and her thoughts fragmented. When his hand molded around her breast, a sense of caution clicked in her mind. She pulled away.

His broad shoulders heaved with every breath. "What is it, love? What is wrong?"

"Quinn, we can't keep doing this," her voice, faint and breathless, hitched on the words.

"Why not, sweetlin'?" She rose from the couch and smoothed her palms along her shorts while gaining her composure.

Quinn's face darkened, his eyes narrowed. He stood and grasped her shoulders. "I wish you would stop this nonsense talk. You are not dreaming and I am real. The other day I thought I showed you—"

Evelyn put a finger up to his lips. "We had a wonderful experience, but it can't happen again. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"Then why?"

"There's someone else," she lied.

Sadness melted Quinn's gaze. "Do you love him?"

Evelyn breathed with exasperation. "No, I don't." She paused, then added another lie, "Not yet at least."

Quinn took her in his arms. "Good. I do not know if I could handle you being in love with another man." He placed a kiss on her cheek, then nibbled her neck.

Her harnessed control broke free. Excitement drilled a hole in her center and desire twisted in its wake. Her mind spun in turmoil. She wanted him, but what would forging a bond with a ghost do to her psyche?

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Blurb-With rock-hard fortitude, Marohka Taunton battles to maintain her position as top mineralogist and refuses to see why she should marry even if the law requires she take a mate. Fighting her attraction for Stihl Fermesium, she struggles to save her father’s company.

Stihl, determined to win her as his mate, is faced with the commission deal of a lifetime and needs the money to save his family land. He wrestles with her emotional resistance and discovers someone other than Marohka is unhappy about their union. In fact, they want to separate them in the most basic of ways, death.

With the stairs a few steps ahead, she tasted victory and allowed herself a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

A masculine voice in front of her chuckled. "It’s not over yet, princess."

Marohka paused to inspect the stranger. The laughter reflected in his warm brown eyes—surprised, the intelligent focus—intrigued, and the dark spark of interest—captivated.

A foreign response slithered through her chest. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Her heartbeat rang in her ears. Her hands turned clammy. Awareness of the man claimed her senses.

His face, framed by dark brown hair, showed rough lines of strength and fortitude. A crooked nose, a square jaw, and a chiseled chin marked his unique personality. Added together, the sum indicated the man rarely backed down from a fight. He’d stand up for his beliefs and defeat his opponents. His lopsided grin with a dimple at the corner of his mouth teased her.

A silly feature on such a stern face. The little mark claimed her heart and spoke of a rare sense of humor, a trait absent in most men.

A tingle ran down her spine. Her toes curled. Either as an appealing partner or a worthy adversary, the man presented a dangerous combination. Right then, without question, Marohka decided never to cross paths with him again.

"It is for me," she responded to his comment. She lifted her chin a little higher and repaired the chip in her armor with a sassy comeback. "But you’re welcome to any of the girls behind me. I’m sure they’ll enjoy your charm."

Marohka lifted her skirt and swept up the stairs. The sound of his laughter spoiled her intended snub.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Betsy McLaughlin's future seems bright. Her father is the richest man in Covington, and she's engaged to the son of a wealthy, socially prominent family. But then Kyle Alexander enters the picture. Kyle is newly paroled after serving time for armed robbery. He's free now, and he can't keep his eyes off his boss's beautiful daughter. Can prison really change a man for the better? Betsy's about to find out.

Buying Links:

http://www.oaktreebooks.comhttp://www.amazon.com

Excerpt:

“Where would you like to go?” Kyle asked. The night air was balmy, and he took a big breath to free his lungs of the smoky air from the Cue.“Anywhere.”“Have you had dinner?”“No.”“I didn’t either. Let’s find some place to eat.”“The Chicken Shack has the best fried chicken you ever ate.”“Sounds good to me.”The Chicken Shack was always crowded, but it wasn’t what you’d call an upscale establishment. Covington ’s working class frequented The Shack, and several people nodded to Kyle as he and Betsy followed the waitress to their table.“Did you see anybody that you know?” Kyle asked wryly as he and Betsy sat down.“No, but you did.”“Yeah. The young guy with the blonde woman and the babies lives in my apartment complex, and the older woman works at Chef’s Pantry in the bakery. How’d you find out about a place like this?”“One of Daddy’s suppliers was bragging on the chicken, so Daddy and I stopped in for lunch one day.”The waitress took their order and there was a short, uneasy silence. Kyle cleared his throat and said, “I thought you were engaged to Todd Warner.”“I am,” Betsy replied, ignoring an unexpected stab of guilt.“Then what are you doing here with me? Did you have a fight, and this is your way of punishing him?”“No, we didn’t have a fight. I… just thought it would be nice to get to know you better. You never finished your story that you were telling me at the picnic.”“Why do you want to get to know me?” asked Kyle shortly. “Is the lure of forbidden fruit getting to you? Is the princess who lives in the castle amusing herself with her father’s peasants?”Betsy was annoyed. “No, it’s nothing like that, and thank you very much for the compliment.”“Don’t blame me for wondering what you’re doing here,” Kyle answered with a shrug. “We both know I’m not the kind of man you should be with. I’ve done time and our families run in different social circles.”“Does that bother you? Are you threatened by the idea of a woman in my social class being interested in you?”“Yep, I sure am.”“Well, that makes no sense to me,” Betsy replied stiffly.“Really? Think about it. You wouldn’t be the first girl to get interested in a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. I expect you want to have a little fling before you get tied down to Warner, and I guess my reputation made me an ideal candidate.”“That’s nonsense.”“Is it?” Kyle paused as the waitress set their chicken on the table and refilled their glasses.“You’ve never known anybody like me before, have you?” he continued. “Just the fact that I come from trash makes me seem exciting, but that wouldn’t last. One day you’d take a good long look at me and run back home to daddy.”“You flatter yourself,” Betsy responded hotly. “Who said I would ever consider having a fling, as you put it, with you?”Kyle reached across the table for her hand and gently kissed the inner side of her wrist. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

Thursday, April 1, 2010

The sound of Havyn’s voice in her head startled her so much she lost her grip and fell forward. She kicked out her wings and glided to the wall between two abandoned stalls. Her heart pounding, she told herself he couldn’t be anywhere nearby. She must be imagining things.

The other bird might squawk or send her his feelings of unease as a warning, but he couldn’t talk to her in a language she could understand. She glanced around nervously, trying to catch her breath. Havyn wasn’t here. He left her severalhours ago after bringing her home from the market. He probably planned to leave her in the barn for a few days until her father left the area. Then he’d tryto train her to be his pet. She’d gone through the routine before.

“You’re not getting away.” His voice sounded in her head again.

At the same time, the large black falcon swooped down and landed on the wall beside her. The shock of both Havyn’s voice and the bird knocked her off balance. She tumbled onto the hay in one of the stalls. She rolled and tried to right herself, but a large wing covered her chest and held her down.

"Transform Faye Lynn."

His voice, his touch, the familiar scent of him, all hit her senses at once. She stared into his onyx eyes and shifted her shape. Her wings became arms. His beak softened into full lips. Black feathers turned to silky tufts of hair. Legs tangled. A rich scent filled the air. His chest crushed her breasts. The thick length of him found its home in her.

Transformation complete, Faye Lynn found herself lying on a bed of hay. Havyn’s weight covered her. His erection pumped heat through her system. She could smell him, taste him and hungered for him more than she ever longed for a man.

He must be a wizard was her last coherent

Blurb

With no memory of her past, Faye Lynn Berton clings to a father who curses her ability to shape-shift, then uses her special skill to scam local villagers. The only freedom she knows comes as she soars through the sky in falcon form. A chance meeting with another changling turns her world upside down. Beyond satisfying the powerful sexual cravings that follow transformation, he reveals a surprising dimension of sex between their kind…one to unlock the secrets of her soul.

Havyn Westmore has questions…Faye Lynn holds the answers. Determined to unravel her secrets, he strives to gain her freedom and trust. Teaching her the finer techniques of transformation keeps her close while sex strengthens their bond. But on the trail of discovery, Havyn must confront his own past. Accused of a heinous crime, he was banned from his homeland. Now, he must choose between returning to face certain execution—or robbing Faye Lynn of her birthright and a life in Paradise.